In each of the past four postseasons, Justin Turner has staked his claim to being the best hitter on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster. Turner further solidified his case through this year’s National League Division Series and Championship Series, and carried that into the World Series.
With a go-ahead, two-run home run off Dallas Keuchel that proved to be the difference in a Game 1 win against the Houston Astros, Turner matched Duke Snider’s Dodgers RBI postseason record with 26. Snider reached the mark in Game 6 of the 1959 World Series, which was his 36th and final playoff game.
Turner matched the production in his 27th postseason game with the Dodgers. “It’s crazy. I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it,” Turner said of the accomplishment.
“One of the best things about being a Dodger and playing in the Dodger Stadium every day when I get to the field, I get to take the elevator down to the first floor and walk through the Dodger museum, basically, the Dodger Hall of Fame.
“And you get to see all the great names on the wall, all the Gold Gloves, MVPs, and Cy Youngs, and World Series trophies, Silver Sluggers and the retired guys, and their numbers on the wall. And there’s all kinds of literature about every single guy.”
This October, Turner’s had games with five (NLDS Game 1), four (NLCS Game 2) and two (World Series Game 1) RBI, and a trio of games with one RBI.
“You look at his career and this guy, I mean, all-time records for RBI, he just comes up with big hits,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“Not only in the regular season but the postseason, especially. And the on-base, the OPS, all those things, the home runs, all those hits, it’s hard to explain. But he’s that guy that you want in the big spots, and he doesn’t scare off.”
Turner previously cemented himself in Dodgers postseason lore with his walk-off home run in Game 2 of the NLCS, which came on the anniversary of Kirk Gibson hitting a game-winning homer in the 1988 World Series. Gibson and Turner own the Dodgers’ only walk-off homers in the playoffs.
During the 2015 NLDS, Turner’s six doubles tied an MLB record for most in a single postseason series. He’s a career .362/.473/.648 hitter in the playoffs, with the aforementioned six doubles and 26 RBI, to go along with one triple and six home runs.
“You can’t teach what he’s doing,” Clayton Kershaw said. “No mechanics or anything can teach the mindset and the competitiveness, the clutchness, whatever that is. It seems like every single night he’s in the right position to come up with a big hit.
“We’re going to ride him, because I don’t know if there’s an easy way to get him out. He’s been unbelievable for us.”
